Your Alsace Vacation

How Far Are Those Charming Alsatian Villages from Strasbourg?

Now that you've decided to take an Alsace vacation, you might be interested in how far all those charming Alsatian villages are from Strasbourg...

Strasbourg is in northern Alsace in a not particularly touristy area...

Which basically means that if you're looking to go visit the much talked about villages and sites on your Alsace vacation, you're looking at about a 45 minute or more trip depending on where you want to go.

But that doesn't mean you are far away from some really interesting parts of Alsace. They may not be well known by English speaking tourists, but they are definitely worth a visit...

You'll find everything you're looking for about Alsace day trips from Strasbourg here...

But if you don't find what you're looking for...ask me a question about your Alsace vacation here!

Distances given are the approximate distances from the center of Strasbourg.

Villages with a * have a train stop and train station.

Your Alsace Vacation: Well Known Alsace

Mont Sainte Odile

30 miles/49 km

Mont Saint Odile is a 7th century convent about a 20 minutes drive from Obernai up in the Vosges mountains with some fantastic views of Alsace. This mountain is very popular. First the Celts were here, then the Romans, and then between 680 and 690, Saint Odile founded her convent. There are some lovely short hikes where you can see intact remains from the Celts and Romans as well as a hotel and restaurant at the convent . The convent itself has been enlarged over the years and renovated many times since being built in the late 600s.

Haut Koenigsbourg

39 miles/62 km

The Haut Koenigsbourg castle was originally built in 1147 in the Vosges mountains. Like many castles it was enlarged a number of times and updated to deal with changes in warfare. But like most castles in Alsace, it was severely damaged in the Thirty Years War in the 1600s, but it was also fully restored in the 1900s. Haut Koenigsbourg will give you a very clear picture of life in a medieval castle in Alsace.

Ribeauvillé

40 miles/63 km

If you've already started researching where to go in Alsace, you've probably heard of Ribeauvillé. It's a beautiful wine road village with lots of medieval buildings, restaurants, shops and wine. I think Ribeauvillé is a great place to visit, although I have no idea why it is more popular than other wine road villages that are just as beautiful. There are also three castles above Ribeauvillé that you can hike up to and back in three hours if you're interested...

Riquewihr

44 miles/71 km

Riquewihr is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France because visiting Riquewihr is like stepping hundreds of years back into history. Somehow this wine road village managed to survive through countless wars (including World War Two) unscathed. So enjoy it, but remember that there are a lot of other people planning to visit Riquewihr with you especially around July, August, and December.

Kaysersberg

47 miles/79 km

Kaysersberg is a just as beautiful medieval wine road village as Riquewihr with the added bonus of a ruined castle only a 15 minute hike away. The photo at the very top of this webpage was taken in Kaysersberg to give you an idea. So if you want to avoid the crowds in Riquewihr, Kaysersberg might be a good choice for your Alsace vacation. And it's the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer too.

Colmar*

44 miles/71 km

Colmar is a medium sized town right in the middle of Alsace. It's on many many people's list of "most beautiful towns in France". The wine business made a lot of people wealthy during the late medieval period so there are a lot of beautiful and unique buildings to look at in Colmar.

Freiburg, Germany*

58 miles/93 km

One of the nice things about visiting Alsace is how close you are to Germany. Freiburg Germany is a beautiful big city with a large medieval quarter. From Freiburg you can make your way into the Black Forest if you would like to spend a day at a natural mineral spring spa, although you will probably need a car for a trip like this.

The Ecomusee

65 miles/104 km

If you've ever wanted to see what an Alsatian village looked like in the late 1800s, here's your chance! You'll see a working oil mill, potters, a wine maker's house, a blacksmith, a barrel maker and more plus all the usual animals you would expect. Kids usually love this outdoor museum. All of the buildings have been moved from their original location but are real (from 15th to 19th century).

Mulhouse*

73 miles/117 km

Mulhouse is the second largest city in Alsace and if you like museums, you'll love Mulhouse. Its most famous ones are the enormous train museum, the antique and luxury car musuem and the electricity museum. None of these museums are in the city center, but they are easily reachable by tram. The city center of Mulhouse is an interesting place to wander around, shop, and learn about the history of Mulhouse on your Alsace vacation.

Basel, Switzerland*

87 miles/139 km

Basel, Switzerland is right on the border of France, Germany, and Switzerland. This 2000 year old city has an unbelievably well maintained medieval city center for such a big city (over 250,000 people), not to mention the four story Spalentor city gate from the 1400s. You'll just love wandering up and down the tiny little medieval lanes in Basel.

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